UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA 
AT   LOS  ANGELES 


1 


"Jiaversity  Puhlisliii^  Company 


REMINISCENCES 


Hast  Dags,  Dcattj  autr  ihtrfal 


GENERAL  HENRY  LEE. 


V 


CHARLES  C.  JONES,  JR. 


ALBANY,  N.  Y.: 
JOEL     MUN  SELL. 

1870. 


E? 

-5J7 


TO 


GENERAL  EGBERT  E.  LEE, 
2Tf)fs  @losina  Chapter  In  tfje  Hffe 


IS  RESPECTFULLY  INSCRIBED. 


g  NOTE. 

To  Mr.  P.  M.  Nightingale  of  Georgia, —  a  grandson 
of  General  Nathaniel  Greene, — who  was  an  eye-witness 

;»•  of  the  final  scenes  in  the  life  of  General  Henry  Lee 

to 

5,  and  present  at  his  death,  I  am  largely  indebted  for 

the  facts  contained  in  the  following  narrative  J 

d 

^EW  YORK  CITY, 
May  lOtli,  1870. 


446100 


REMINISCENCES 


GENERAL  HENRY  LEE. 


|Y  the  "treaty  of  amity,  settle- 
ment and  limits"  concluded  in 
1819,  Spain  ceded  Florida  to  the 
United  States.  An  exchange  of  flags  under 
this  treaty  did  not  take  place,  however,  un- 
til the  17th  of  June,  1821,  when  "General 
Jackson  was  appointed  governor  of  Florida, 
with  ample  legislative,  judicial  and  execu- 
tive powers.  The  disputes  which  had  for 
some  time  existed  with  regard  to  Florida, 
and  the  repeated  violations  of  the  revenue 

7 


GENERAL  HENRY   LEE. 

laws  rendered  a  concentration  of  forces  in 
the  neighborhood  of  Fernandina  a  matter  of 
military  necessity  on  the  part  of  the  United 
States.  Accordingly,  at  the  period  of  Gene- 
ral Henry  Lee's  visit  to  Dungeness,  an  Ame- 
rican fleet  was  lying  in  Cumberland  sound 
whose  instructions  were  to  preserve  the  rights 
of  commerce  in  that  vicinity,  cooperate  with 
the  land  forces,  whenever  practicable,  in 
checking  the  lawlessness  and  preventing  the 
depredations  of  the  Seminoles,  and,  when 
pending  negotiations  were  consummated,  to 
assist  in  taking  formal  possession  of  Florida 
in  the  name  of  the  United  States.  That 
fleet  consisted  of 

the  frigate  John  Adams, — Commodore 
Henley ; 


GENERAL  HENRY  LEE. 

the  brig  Saranac, — Captain  Elton  ; 

the  brig  Enterprise, — Captain  Kearny; 

the  hermaphrodite  brig  Prometheus, — 
Captain  Finch; 

the  schooner  Lynx, — Captain1  Madi- 
son; 

and  a  gun-boat,  [sloop] — Captain  Mc- 
Call. 


1  Captain  Madison,  when  a  poor  orphan  boy,  was 
adopted  and  educated  by  Commodore  Preble'.  He 
married  Miss  Houston,  a  niece  of  John  Houston 
Mclntosh,  Esq.,  of  Camden  county,  Georgia.  Subse- 
quently, in  command  of  the  "  Lynx,"  he  sailed  from 
Cumberland  sound  with  orders  to  attack  and  disperse 
pirates  who,  from  the  West  Indies,  were  making  fre- 
quent descents  along  the  Florida  coast  and  in  the  Gulf 
of  Mexico,  to  the  great  annoyance  of  American  com- 
merce. While  thus  engaged,  his  ship  foundered  at 
sea  and  every  man  on  board  was  lost.  Captain  Daniel 


GENERAL    HENRY   LEE. 

A  considerable  land-force,  under  the  com- 
mand of  Colonel  Bankhead,  was  stationed 
at  Fernandina,  on  Amelia  island.  Major 
Irvin  and  Captain  Payne  were  among  the 
officers  then  on  duty  at  that  point. 

In  1813  Gen.  Lee  sailed  for  the  West 
Indies,  trusting  that  a  change  of  climate 
would  restore  his  failihg  health,  which  was 


Turner  and  Captain  Madison  had  entered  into  a  pri- 
vate, friendly  agreement,  by  which  they  promised  to 
divide  with  each  other  the  prize  moneys  which  they 
might  severally  earn  while  employed  in  this  special 
service.  Some  time  after  the  loss  of  the  "  Lynx," — 
generously  responding  to  this  compact  which  he  had 
made  with  his  dead  comrade, —  Captain  Turner  trans- 
mitted several  thousand  dollars  to  Mrs.  Madison  as  her 
husband's  share  of  prize  money.  Apt  illustration  of 
the  affirmation  of  the  Lacedaemonian  king,  that  the 
truly  brave  man  is  always  just. 

•10 


GENERAL  HENRY  LEE. 

then,  and  had  been  for  some  time  sadly 
impaired.  Such  were  his  infirmities,  that 
during  the  war  of  1812  he  was  physically 
incapacitated  from  entering  the  lists  of  the 
defenders  of  his  country,  whose  independ- 
ence he  had  so  valiantly  and  successfully 
vindicated  in  the  primal  struggle  of  the 
republic.  In  his  retirement  he  purposed  a 
thorough  revision  of  his  "Memoirs  of  the 
War  in  the  Southern  Department,"  and  the 
preparation  of  biographies  of  his  "two  be- 
loved commanders,  Greene  and  Washing- 
ton." It  will  everremain  a  matter  of  sincere 
regret  that  he  did  not  compass  the  execution 
of  this  plan.  To  his  "Memoirs"  he  doubt- 
less would  have  imparted  additional  value 
and  interest;  but  in  their  present  form, 
11 


GENERAL  HENRY  LEE. 

and  as  he  gave  them  to  history,  they  possess 
the  highest  merit  and  constitute  the  best 
military  record  we  possess,  of  the  incidents, 
campaigns,  characters  and  heroic  memories 
embraced  within  their  scope.  Lives  of 
Washington  and  Greene  have  been  carefully 
studied  and  well  written ;  but,  for  one,  I 
freely  confess  to  the  firm  conviction  that 
biographies  of  these  heroes  by  their  gifted, 
accomplished,  eloquent  compatriot  and 
friend,  "Light  Horse  Harry  Lee,"  would 
far  have  surpassed  all  others. 

The  mild  atmosphere  of  the  West  Indies 
and  the  entire  repose  there  enjoyed  appear, 
for  a  time,,  to  have  buoyed  up  his  spirits 
with  the  hope  of  a  return  to  at  least  com- 
parative health.  While  at  Turks  island, 

19 


GENERAL  HENRY  LEE. 

on  a  voyage  to  New  Providence,  on  the  8th 
of  August,  1816,  he  writes  to  his  son,  "My 
miserable  state  of  health  improves  by  the 
occasional  voyaging  in  this  fine  climate, 
with  the  sage  guidance  of  a  superior  phy- 
sician to  whom  I  am  now  returning."  Six 
months  afterwards,  he  says,  "  My  Spanish 
doctor  has  done  me  good,  and  sometimes  in- 
spires hopes  of  partial  restoration."  During 
these  years,  his  letters, — or  at  least  such  of 
them  as  have  been  made  public, —  are  replete 
with  the  tenderestexpressionsof  love  for  and 
interest  in  his  sons.  They  afford  the  surest 
evidence  that  his  days  were  occupied  by 
studies  of  th'e  highest  order.  The  results 
of  his  extensive  reading  and  reflection  are 
'charmingly  imparted  for  the  benefit  of  those 

18 


GENERAL  HENRY  LEE. 

in  whose  education  and  improvement  his 
sympathies  were  most  deeply  enlisted. 

In  1817  entertaining  serious  apprehen- 
sions of  an  absolute  failure  of  health  and 
strength,  he  expresses  his  disappointment 
in  not  being  able  to  secure  a  passage  to 
Alexandria,  Virginia,  whither  he  had  re- 
moved with  his  family  in  1811  for  the  pur- 
pose of  educating  his  children.  Several 
plans  were  formed  for  reaching  the  United 
States,  but  on  each  occasion  some  untoward 
circumstance  occurred  to  interrupt  his  con- 
templated voyage. 

Convinced  that  he  was  deriving  no  bene- 
fit from  his  sojourn  in  the  West  Indies,  and 
seemingly  appreciating  the  fact  that  his  days 
were  well-nigh  numbered,  his  strength  al- 

14 


GENERAL  HENRY  LEE. 

S 

most  gone,  he  determined  to  avail  himself  of 
the  first  opportunity  which  would  enable 
him  to  place  himself  under  the  kind  care  of 
the  daughter  of  his  old  commander  General 
Nathaniel  Greene.  Late  in  January,  1818, 
he  took  passage  in  a  New  England 
schooner  bound  from  Nassau,  New  Provi- 
dence, to  Boston; — the  captain  (who  was 
also  the  owner  of  the  vessel),  promising  to 
run  in  and  land  him  at  the  south  end  of 
Cumberland  island.  This  engagement  was 
faithfully  kept,  and  for  the  passage  he 
charged  General  Lee  not  a  farthing.  Even 
when  pressed  by  Mr.  James  Shaw  and  by 
some  of  the  officers  of  the  fleet,  then  pre- 
sent at  the  mouth  of  the  St.  Mary's  river, 
to  accept  the  liberal  compensation  which 

15 


GENERAL    HENRY   LEE. 

they  there  tendered  him,  the  captain  per- 
sistently declined  all  pecuniary  remunera- 
tion, alleging  that  he  esteemed  it  a  special 
pleasure  and  privilege  to  minister  to  the 
comfort  and  respond  to  the  wishes  of  so  dis- 
tinguished a  hero  of  the  revolution. 

Dungeness, —  long  known  as  perhaps  the 
most  beautiful  and  attractive  residence  on 
the  Georgia  coast,- — is  located  near  the 
southern  end  of  Cumberland  island.  The 
plantation  was  purchased  by  General  Na- 
thaniel Greene  soon  after  the  close  of  the 
Revolutionary  war.  Although  the  mansion 
and  grounds  were  planned  and  laid  out  by 
him,  he  did  not  live  to  consummate  his 
intention  of  making  it  his  summer  resi- 
dence. The  improvements  suggested  by 

16 


GENERAL  HENRY  LEE. 

him  were  carried  out  after  his  death.  The 
location  of  Dungeness, —  commanding  as  it 
does  an  extensive  view  of  the  Atlantic 
ocean,  of  Cumberland  sound,  the  St.  Mary's 
river  and  the  low-lying,  verdant  shores  of 
Georgia  and  Florida, — is  very  beautiful. 
So  completely  and  harmoniously  had  nature 
and  art  combined  their  varied  attractions, 
that  in  this  charming  home  there  was 
nothing  further  to  be  coveted,  whether 
in  the  quiet  beauty  of  the  landscape,  the 
expanse  of  water,  the  salubrity  of  cli- 
mate, the  refined  hospitality  which  dwelt 
within  the  walls  of  the  grand  tabby  man- 
sion, the  delights  of  the  drive,  the  chase, 
the  garden  and  the  orchard,  or  the  com- 
mingled grandeur  and  beauty  of  live-oaks, 

17 


GENERAL  HENRY  LEE. 

magnolias,  cedars,  oranges,  myrtles  and 
olives. 

At  the  time  of  General  Lee's  visit,  Mrs. 
Shaw, —  the  daughter  of  General  Greene, — 
was  the  mistress  of  this  delightful  and  hos- 
pitable abode,  whose  charms  elicited  the 
warmest  praises  from  numerous  friends  and 
guests  who  constantly  sought  the  enjoy- 
ments of  her  generous  roof. 

Early  in  February,  1818,  about  four 
o'clock  in  the  afternoon,  a  grandson  of 
General  Greene, —  a  lad  some  fifteen  years 
old,  who  was  amusing  himself  with  boy- 
ish sports  about  the  ample  grounds, — 
observed  a  schooner  Hearing  the  Dungeness 
landing.  Just  before  reaching  the  wharf 
the  schooner  came  to  anchor  and  a  boat 

18 


GENERAL   HENRY   LEE. 

was  lowered.  A  feeble  old  man  was  as- 
sisted into  the  boat  by  the  captain  and 
mate,  who  took  their  seats  beside  him,  and 
the  three  were  rowed  ashore  by  two  sailors. 
The  youth  had  intermediately  gone  to  the 
landing  where  he  waited  to  ascertain  the 
object  of  the  visit  and  to  welcome  the  guest. 
General  Lee  was  lifted  from  the  boat  by 
the  sailors,  who,  making  a  chair  with  their 
hands  and  arms,  bore  him  to  the  shore. 
He  was  pale,  emaciated,  very  weak  and 
evidently  suffering  much  pain.  There  was 
that  about  his  appearance  which  assured 
the  observer  not  only  of  his  illness  but  also 
of  his  poverty.  He  was  plainly,  almost 
scantily  attired.  The  sailors  placed  upon 
the  wharf  an  old  hair-trunk  in  a  dilapidated 

19 


GENERAL  HENRY  LEE. 

condition,  and  a  cask  of  Madeira  wine. 
General  Lee  brought  no  other  baggage  with 
him.  Beckoning  the  youth  to  him,  he  in- 
quired who  he  was.  Learning  that  Mrs. 
Shaw  was  at  home,  and  that  he  was  the 
grandson  of  General  Greene,  he  threw  his 
arms  around  him,  embracing  him  with 
marked  emotion.  Then,  leaning  upon  him, 
he  walked  a  short  distance  from  the  land- 
ing place,  and  sat  upon  a  log.  He  then 
bade  him  go  to  the  house  and  say  to  his 
aunt,  Mrs.  Shaw,  that  General  Lee  was  at 
the  wharf  and  wished  the  carriage  to  be 
sent  for  him.  "  Tell  her,"  he  added,  "  I  am 
come  purposely  to  die  in  the  house  and  in 
the  arms  of  the  daughter  of  my  old  friend 
and  compatriot." 

20 


GENERAL  HENRY  LEE. 

There  is  something  deeply  affecting  in 
this  picture  of  the  loneliness  and  pain, 
weakness  and  poverty,  of  this  gallant  sol- 
dier of  the  revolution.  It  is  hard  to  recog- 
nize in  the  person  of  this  weary,  decrepit 
old  man,  the  brilliant  colonel  commandant 
of  the  Partisan  Legion, —  the  beloved  of 
Washington  and  the  right  arm  of  his  im- 
mediate commander  Greene, —  the  best 
military  writer  of  his  army, —  the  honored 
of  Congress, —  the  trusted  delegate, —  the 
successor  of  Beverly  Randolph  as  governor 
of  Virginia, —  the  accomplished  orator  from 
whose  lips,  when  pronouncing  the  funeral 
oration,  at  Washington,  on  the  occasion  of 
the  death  of  our  first  president,  fell  that 
memorable  tribute  which  has  ever  since 

21 


GENERAL  HENRY  LEE. 

found  emphatic  response  in  every  patriotic 
breast,  "  first  in  war,  first  in  peace,  and  first 
in  the  hearts  of  his  countrymen."  Shifting 
fortunes,  wounds,  age  and  disease  have 
wrought  sad  changes,  and  he  is  but  the 
wreck  of  former  greatness ;  —  alone,  desti- 
tute, away  from  home  and  family,  and  yet 
soon  to  be  the  recipient  of  the  kindest  atten- 
tions from  those  who  know  and  honor 
him  for  the  deeds  he  has  wrought,  and  for 
the  signal  services  he  has  rendered  the  cause 
of  truth  and  country  and  liberty  in  the 
darkest  hour  of  danger  and  oppression. 

Leaving  him  seated  upon  the  log,  young 
Nightingale  (for  such  was  the  name  of  the 
lad),  hastened  to  the  mansion,  commu- 
nicated the  fact  of  the  General's  arrival, 

22 


GENERAL  HENRY  LEE. 

and  delivered  his  messages  to  his  aunt.  The 
carriage  was  immediately  sent,  and  in  it 
General  Lee  and  his  little  friend  rode  lei- 
surely up  together ;  —  the  captain  and  mate 
of  the  vessel  walking  by  the  side  of  the 
vehicle. 

When  they  arrived  at  the  house,  General 
Lee  was  so  weak  that  he  had  to  be  assisted 
both  in  getting  out  of  the  carriage  and  in 
ascending  the  steps.  Having  received  a 
most  cordial  welcome  from  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Shaw,  he  excused  himself  at  once  and  re- 
tired to  his  room.  Such  was  his  feebleness 
that  he  kept  his  room,  generally  leaving  it 
but  once  a  day,  and  then  only  for  a  little 
while  that  he  might  take  a  short  walk  in 
the  garden.  Upon  these  occasions  he  al- 

23 


GENERAL   HENRY   LEE. 

ways  sent  for  young  Nightingale  to  accom- 
pany him.  Leaning  upon  the  grandson 
of  his  honored  commander, —  usually  with 
his  arm  around  his  neck, —  he  would  slowly 
and  with  difficulty  descend  the  steps  and 
then,  turning  into  the  garden,  walk  in  an 
avenue  which  ran  through  a  grove  of  orange 
trees.  Soon  fatigued,  he  would  return  to 
the  house  and  again  seek  repose  in  his  room. 
Even  in  these  short  walks  he  was  able  to 
indulge  only  for  a  week  or  ten  days  after  his 
arrival.  On  but  a  few  occasions  was  he 
strong  enough  to  dine  with  the  family, — 
his  meals,  at  his  own  request,  being  served 
in  his  room.  His  feebleness  becoming  daily 
more  apparent  and  oppressive,  he  was  soon 
entirely- unable  to  leave  his  room  and  spent 

24 


GENERAL    HENRY    LEE. 

•* 

most  of  his  time  in  a  recumbent  posture. 
Shortly  after  his  arrival  all  the  prominent 
officers  of  .the  army  and  navy  stationed  in 
that  vicinity,  called  in  a  body  and  paid 
their  respects  to  the  distinguished  guest. 
When  it  became  too  great  an  effort  for  him 
to  leave  his  room,  and  he  realized  the  fact 
that  his  life  was  fast  ebbing  away,  he  be- 
came at  times  very  depressed  and  irritable. 
The  wound  which  he  had  received  in  Bal- 
timore caused  him  almost  incessant  suffer- 
ing. It  seriously  affected  his  bladder. 
When  the  paroxysms  of  extreme  agony 
were  upon  him,  and  they  recurred  at  short 
intervals,  his  exhibitions  of  commingled 
rage  and  anguish  were  often  terrible.  It 
was  the  strong  man  wrestling  with  the 


GENERAL  HENRY  LEE. 

frailties  of  the  falling  tabernacle ;  —  the 
brave  heart  chafing  under  the  decadence 
of  physical  powers ;  —  the  heroic  memories 
of  a  proud  and  vigorous  past  contending 
against  the  feebleness  and  oppression  of  a 
painful  present; — a  lofty  spirit  revolting  at 
the  encroachments  of  bodily  suffering  and 
the  near  approach  of  utter  prostration ; — the 
caged  and  wounded  eagle  beating  against 
its  prison  bars,  and  longing  for  the  sun- 
light and  free  air,  the  lordly  plumage  and 
sturdy  pinions  of  former  days ;  —  the  dy- 
ing warrior  whose  strength  never  before 
had  failed  him  in  the  hour  of  peril,  sternly 
calling  to  mind  his  former  victories  and 
refusing  to  admit  that  the  outworks  had 
been  carried,  that  the  citadel  itself  must 

26 


GENERAL   HENRY   LEE. 

soon  yield  to  the  terrible  assaults  of  the 
last  enemy. 

At  such  times  his  groans  would  fill  the 
house  and  wring  the  hearts  of  those 
who  watched  by  his  side,  anxious,  but  un- 
able to  render  him  that  alleviation  which 
his  vast  sufferings  loudly  demanded.  Many 
important  remedies  which  modern  ingen- 
uity and  professional  skill  have  contrived 
were  then  unknown  to  the  surgeon;  and 
the  patient  languished  amid  physical  tor- 
tures which  later  medical  aid  could  have 
materially  mitigated.1 


1  A  surgical  operation  was  proposed  as  offering  some 
hope  of  prolonging  his  life;  but  he  replied  that  the 
eminent  physician  to  whose  skill  and  care  during  his 
sojourn  in  the  West  Indies  he  was  so  much  indebted, 

27 


GENERAL    HENRY   LEE. 

During  moments  of  comparative  freedom 
from  pain  he  would  converse  eloquently 
upon  the  political  questions  which  had  agi- 
tated the  public  mind  and  were  still  engag- 
ing the  attention  of  the  country.  He  was 
a  decided  Federalist,  and  avowed  his  utter 
detestation  of  all  Democrats.  Often  did  he 
allude  in  glowing  terms  to  the  glorious 
memories  of  the  revolution ;  and  of  no  one, 
Washington  apart  —  did  he  speak  more  en- 
thusiastically than  of  General  Greene.  He 


had  disapproved  a  resort  to  the  proposed  operation. 
The  surgeon  in  attendance  still  urging  it,  his  patient 
put  an  end  to  the  discussion  by  saying  :  "  My  dear 
sir,  were  the  great  Washington  alive,'  and  here,  and 
joining  you  in  advocating  it,  I  would  resist."  —  See 
life  of  General  Henry  Lee,  by  General  llobert  E.  Lee, 
pp.  78,  79. 

28 


GENERAL  HENRY  LEE. 

was  also  a  sincere  lover  of  nature,  and  in- 
dulged in  many  and  beautiful  tributes  to 
the  wide-spreading  sea,  the  charming 
groves,  the  flowers  and  the  song-birds 
which  filled  his  chamber  with  their  early 
spring  notes  of  joy  and  gladness. 

During  his  illness  he  was  constantly  at- 
tended by  two  surgeons  from  the  fleet ;  one 
of  whom  was  Dr.  Osborne  of  the  Saranac. 
The  other  was  the  surgeon  of  the  John 
Adams  —  a  superior  physician  whose  name 
escapes  present  memory.  The  officers  of  the 
army  and  navy,  usually  two  at  a  time, 
sat  up  with  him  every  night,  ministering 
most  tenderly  to  all  his  wants.  Chief  among 
them  in  his  devotion  around  the  bedside 
of  the  dying  hero,  was  Lieutenant  Fitzhugh. 


GENERAL  HENRY  LEE. 

He  was  a  Virginian,  and,  if  we  are  correctly 
informed,  a  distant  relative  or  connection 
of  General  Lee.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Shaw  contri- 
buted everything  in  their  power  which 
could  conduce  to  his  comfort  and  happiness 
and  serve  to  keep  alive  the  flame  which 
was  already  trembling  so  uncertainly  in 
the  socket.  In  his  enfeebled  condition  and 
irritable  state  it  was  no  easy  matter  to  sup- 
ply him  with  competent  servants  who 
would  prove  acceptable  to  him,  or  who  could 
long  endure  the  continued  demands  made 
upon  them.  In  moments  of  supreme  agony, 
losing  his  self-control,  he  would  sometimes 
drive  them  from  his  presence  and  never  after- 
wards permit  them  to  enter  his  room.  At 
length  an  old  woman, —  who  had  been  Mrs. 

30 


GENERAL  HENRY  LEE. 

Greene's  favorite  maid  and  who  was  then 
the  esteemed  and  privileged  family  ser- 
vant,—  was  selected  to  wait  upon  him. 
The  first  thing  General  Lee  did,  as  she 
entered  his  room,  was  to  hurl  his  boot  at 
her  head  and  order  her  out.  Entirely  un- 
used to  such  treatment,  without  saying  a 
word  she  deliberately  picked  up  the  boot 
and  threw  it  back.  The  effect  produced 
by  this  strange  and  unexpected  retort  was 
marked  and  instantaneous.  The  features 
of  the  stern  warrior  relaxed.  In  the  midst 
of  his  pain  and  anger  a  smile  passed  over  his 
countenance,  and  from  that  moment  until 
the  day  of  his  death  he  would  permit  no  one 
except  "Mom  Sarah"  to  do  him  special 
service. 

31 


GENERAL  HENRY  LEE. 

General  Lee's  sojourn  at  Dungeness  con- 
tinued nearly  two  months.  His  feebleness 
and  emaciation  increasing  every  day,  and  his 
paroxysms  of  agony  growing  more  frequent 
and  longer  in  their  duration,  he  became 
utterly  exhausted,  and  gradually  yielded 
to  the  sure  and  steady  approach  of  the 
last  enemy.  For  several  days  previous 
to  his  death  it  was  with  the  greatest 
difficulty,  even  with  the  aid  of  constant 
stimulants,  that  he  could  be  kept  alive. 
His  countenance  and  voice  gave  fearful 
token  of  the  most  intense  agony.  His 
words  were  few,  and  were  rather  the 
expressions  of  terrible  pain  than  the  in- 
dications of  a  desire  to  converse  with 
those  who  watched  around  his  dying 

88 


GENERAL   HENRY   LEE. 

couch.     He  ceased  to  breath  on  the  25th 
of  March,  1818. 

So  soon  as  the  fact  of  his  demise  was 
known,  all  the  naval  vessels  in  Cumber- 
land sound  showed  their  colors  at  half 
mast.  A  similar  token  of  respect  was 
manifested  at  military  head  quarters  on 
Amelia  island.  Arrangements  were  formed 
to  testify,  by  the  most  public  funeral  honors, 
the  highest  regard  for  the  memory  of  the 
gallant  dead  and  a  just  appreciation  of  the 
national  bereavement.  Every  preparation 
was  made  on  the  part  of  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Shaw  which  the  tenderest  forethought 
could  suggest.  The  prominent  officers  of 
the  army  and  navy  came  over  to  Dunge- 
ness,  with  crape  upon  their  side  arms,  to 

5  33 


GENERAL    HENRY    LEE. 

participate  in  the  obsequies.  Citizens  from 
Cumberland  and  Amelia  islands  and  from 
St.  Mary's  united  in  paying  their  respect. 
A  company  of  infantry  from  the  force  sta- 
tioned on  Amelia  island  and  a  large  de- 
tachment of  marines  from  the  fleet  formed 
the  military  escort.  Commodore  Henley 
was  present,  and  superintended  the  last 
sad  details.  The  full  army  band  was  in 
attendance.  Captains  Elton,1  Finch  and 
Madison,  and  Lieutenants  Fitzhugh  and 
Ritchie  of  the  navy  and  Mr.  Lyman  of  the 
army  acted  as  pall  bearers.  The  sheathed 
swords  of  Captains  Elton  and  Finch  were 
crossed  upon  the  coffin.  The  officers  of  the 


1  See  White's  Historical  Collections  of  Georgia,  p. 
287,  quoting  from  the  Savannah  Republican. 

34 


GENERAL  HENRY  LEE. 

navy  and  Captain  Payne  of  the  army  fol- 
lowed. Mr.  Taylor  performed  the  funeral 
services. 

The  procession  moved  from  the  house  to 
the  private  burial  ground — distant  a  little 
less  than  half  a  mile  from  the  family  man- 
sion and  located  near  the  beach.  While 
it  was  moving,  and  until  the  body  was 
committed  to  the  earth,  from  the  John 
Adams, —  the  flag-ship  of  the  fleet, —  min- 
ute guns  were  fired.  The  solemn  dead 
march  was  played  by  the  band.  At  the 
grave  the  concluding  portions  of  the  burial 
service  were  read,  and  over  it  the  customary 
salutes  were  fired  by  the  infantry  and 
marines.  Thus  was  nothing  omitted 
which,  under  the  circumstances,  could  con- 

35 


GENERAL  HENRY  LEE. 

tribute  to  the  solemnity  of  the  occasion  or 
aid  in  compassing  the  most  distinguished 
funeral  honors  for  this  gifted  soldier  of 

• 

the  revolution,  who,  by  his  bright  blade, 
had  won  such  success  and  honor  for  his 
country,  and,  by  his  intellect  and  attain- 
ments, had  given  to  history  some  of  the 
most  prominent  memories  of  his  age  and 
people. 

In  1832  or  1833  a  head  and  foot  stone 
were  sent  by  Major  Lee,  the  eldest  son  of 
General  Lee,  through  General  Hamilton 
of  South  Carolina,  and  they  were  placed  by 
Mr.  Nightingale  in  position  over  the  grave 
of  the  distinguished  chief.  The  inscription 
which  they  bore  was  written,  it  is  believed, 
by  Major  Lee. 

36 


GENERAL   HENRY   LEE. 

Sacred 
to  the  memory  of 

GEN.  HENRY  LEE. 

of  Virginia. 

Obiit  —  25  March,  1818, 
63. 


Some  nine  years  ago  the  question  of  the 
removal  of  General  Lee's  remains  and  their 
interment  in  Virginia  soil  was  agitated 
in  the  Virginia  Legislature.  If  our  inform- 
ation be  correct,  commissioners  were  ac- 
tually named  to  superintend  the  execution 
of  this  honorable  trust.  The  late  war  en- 
suing, their  mission  was  interrupted,  and 
"Light  Horse  Harry  Lee"  still  slumbers 
in  the  family  burying  ground  at  Dunge- 
ness. 

37 


446100 


GENERAL  HENRY  LEE. 

The  devastations  of  the  last  war  fearfully 
invaded  this  beautiful  home.  Its  pleasant 
springs  are  dry,  its  hospitable  halls  deserted, 
its  attractive  gardens  and  groves  of  oranges 
and  olives  frequented  only  by  the  birds  of 
heaven  commingling  their  morning  and 
evening  songs  with  the  sweet  odors  which 
perfume  the  passing  winds.  Attired  in 
their  drapery  of  pendent  moss  swaying 
solemnly  in  the  ambient  air,  the  grand 

live-oaks, —  ancient  guardians  of  the  spot, — 

• 
bemoan  the  sad  changes  which  have  marred 

the  peace  and  happiness  of  this  charming 
abode.  Silent  though  it  be,  there  are  mem- 
ories here  still  vocal  amid  the  mutations  of 
fortune  and  the  desolations  of  war ;  —  mem- 
ories of  distinguished  hospitality,  refine- 
as 


GENERAL  HENRY  LEE. 

merit,  culture,  elegance  and  enjoyment;  — 
memories  which  carry  the  heart  back  to 
happy  days  and  peculiar  excellencies  which 
come  not  again.  Not  the  least  among 
the  marked  recollections  of  Dungeness  are 
those  which  recall  the  fact  that  in  the  days 
of  his  supreme  weakness,  its  generous  roof 
sheltered  and  its  kindliest  influences  alle- 
viated the  agonies  and  ministered  to  the 
comforts  of  one  of  the  greatest  heroes  of 
our  Revolutionary,  period ;  and,  when  the 
flowers  of  Spring  could  no  longer  charm 
by  their  beauty  and  fragrance,  or  the  soft 
south  wind  bring  health  and  surcease  of 
paiii  to  the  suffering  and  the  dying,  it  re- 
ceived into  its  hospitable  bosom  and  folded 
in  one  long  affectionate  embrace  all  that 

39 


GENERAL   HENRY   LEE. 

was  mortal  of  the  gallant,  the  gifted,  the 
honored  dead. 

Closely  identified  in  life,  the  names  of 
Greene  and  Lee  are  in  death  inseparable.1 
Shoulder  to  shoulder  they  led  the  armies 


1  General  Greene  died  at  his  plantation  on  the 
Savannah  river,  "  Mulberry  Grove  " —  fourteen  miles 
above  Savannah  and  on  the  south  side  of  the  river,  on 
the  19th  of  June,  1785. 

The  following  account  of  his  funeral  obsequies  is 
borrowed  from  a  Savannah  journal. 

"  On  Monday  last,  the  19th  day  of  June,  died  at  his 
seat  near  Savannah,  NATHANIEL  GREENE,  Esq.,  late 
Major  General  in  the  army  of  the  United  States ;  and 
on  Tuesday  morning  his  remains  were  brought  to  town 
to  be  interred.  The  melancholy  account  of  his  death 
was  made  known  by  the  discharge  of  minute  guns  from 
Fort  Wayne ;  the  shipping  in  the  harbor  had  their 
colors  half  masted ;  the  shops  and  stores  in  the  town 
were  shut;  and  every  class  of  citizens,  suspending 

40 


GENERAL  HENRY  LEE. 


of  the  Confederation,  and  upon  the  soil  of  the 
youngest  of  the  "  Original  Thirteen,"  hav- 


their  ordinary  occupations,  united  in  giving  testimo- 
nies of  the  deepest  sorrow. 

The  several  military  corps  of  the  town  and  a  great 
part  of  the  militia  of  Chatham  county  attended  the 
funeral,  and  moved  in  the  following  procession  : 

The  Corps  of  Artillery, 

The  Light  Infantry, 

The  militia  of  Chatham  county, 

Clergyman  and  Physicians, 

Band  of  Music ; 

THE  CORPSE  AND  PALL  BEARERS, 
Escorted  on  each  side  by  a  company  of  Dragoons ; 

The  principal  Mourners, 
The  members  of  the  CINCINNATI  as  Mourners, 

The  speaker  of  the  Assembly, 

And  other  civil  officers  of  the  State, 

CITIZENS  and  STRANGERS. 

About  five  o'clock  the  whole  proceeded,  the  music 
playing  the  Dead  March  in  Saul,  and  the  Artillery 


41 


GENERAL  HENRY  LEE. 


ing  fought  their  last  battle,  laid  their  armor 
by  and   sank  to  rest  in  kindred  graves. 


firing  minute  guns  as  it  advanced.  When  the  Mili- 
tary reached  the  vault  in  which  the  body  was  to 
be  entombed,  they  opened  to  the  right  and  left,  and 
resting  on  reversed  arms,  let  it  pass  through.  The 
funeral  service  being  performed,  and  the  corpse 
deposited,  thirteen  discharges  from  the  artillery  and 
three  from  the  musquetry  closed  the  scene.  The 
whole  was  conducted  with  a  solemnity  suitable  to  the 
occasion. " 

The  identical  vault  in  the  old  cemetery  in  Savannah, 
in  which  General  Greene  rests  is,  at  this  day,  a  matter 
of  uncertainty.  A  partial  search  was  made  for  the 
coffin  in  1820,  but  it  proved  unsuccessful.  Although 
the  precise  tomb  which  encloses  his  honored  dust  may 
have  escaped  the  memory  of  succeeding  generations,  his 
name  and  brave  deeds  live  in  the  cherished  remem- 
brance of  his  countrymen  :  and  grateful  fellow  citi- 
zens have  erected  in  one  of  the  high  places  of 
Savannah  an  enduring  tribute  to  his  valor  and  worth. 

42 


GENERAL  HENRY  LEE. 

They  sleep  where  the  recollections  of  their 
brave  deeds  and  the  grateful  songs  of  the 
true  lovers  of  liberty  are  caught  up  by  the 
billows  of  a  common  ocean  and  joyfully  re- 
peated in  wider  circles,  in  more  heroic  strains. 
The  soil  thus  honored,  is  hallowed  indeed. 

How  sleep  the  brave  who  sink  to  rest, 
By  all  their  country's  wishes  blessed ! 
"When  Spring,  with  dewy  fingers  cold, 
Returns  to  deck  their  hallowed  mould, 
She  there  shall  dress  a  sweeter  sod 
Than  Fancy's  feet  have  ever  trod. 

By  fairy  hands  their  knell  is  rung ; 
'By  forms  unseen  their  dirge  is  sung; 
There  Honor  comes,  a  pilgrim  gray, 
To  bless  the  turf  that  wraps  their  clay ; 
And  freedom  shall  awhile  repair, 
To  dwell  a  weeping  hermit  there  ! 


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